Queen of England and King of France

Queen Elizabeth (1533-1603) always bore the title "King of France," asserting that if by the action of the Salic law she could not be Queen, she would be King. It was not until the 5th of November, 1800, that a change in the title of the reigning monarch of England was proposed, to take effect upon the 1st of January following. It was settled by privy council, that, in consequence of the Irish Union, the royal style and title should be changed from "George III., by the grace of God, of Great Britain, France and Ireland, King, Defender of the Faith," to "George III., by the grace of God, of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland, King, Defender of the Faith;" thus omitting "King of France," a title which had been borne by the monarchs of England for four hundred and thirty-two years, since the forty-third year of the reign of Edward III. (1312-1377).

It was the Salic law that had excluded Edward from the throne of France. It is the more singular that Elizabeth should have retained this title when we remember that in the second year of her reign it was agreed, in a treaty of peace between France and England, that the title "King or Queen of England or Ireland" should be dropped from the title of the monarch of France, Francis II. and Mary of Scotland being at that time on the throne. The abandonment of the title "King of France" led to a change in the official correspondence of the two countries. Previous to 1800 the custom was to conduct such correspondence in French; the English language was from that time adopted by law. The title "Defender of the Faith" was added in the time of Henry VIII., father of Elizabeth. In his time the English people were ardently Roman Catholic in faith, and Henry VIII. distinguished himself by writing a book against the Lutheran doctrines. It pleased the Pope so much that he conferred the title "Defender of the Faith" upon the English King. Henry, however, did not long continue to enjoy the favor of the Pope, for the Pontiff (Clement VII.) refusing to grant him a divorce from Katharine, Henry threw off his allegiance to the Church of Rome, which, with subsequent events, led to the English Reformation.

It is related that a French King once complained to a King of England because of his taking to himself the name of King of France, when he did not possess a foot of French soil. The British monarch's retort was, "I am no more to blame than you are, who reckon among your titles King of Jerusalem, where no ancestor of yours has had any show of authority for five hundred years."

The safety of Venice depended upon her undisputed sway over the Adriatic. The "Espousal of Venice and the Sea" was the symbol of this supremacy which she arrogated in her title, "Queen of the Adriatic." From the year 997, a national fete had been celebrated annually upon Ascension Day, to commemorate the conquest of Dalmatia, and the victories won over the Marentine pirates during the reign of the Doge Pietro Orsello II. The people of Venice repaired to the sea, beyond the harbor of Lido, and performed certain ceremonies in accordance with the taste of the age. For one hundred and eighty years this custom survived unchanged. But in 1176, after the great naval victory of the Doge Ziani over the imperial fleet of Frederick Barbarossa, Pope Alexander III. (who was at that time a refugee in Venice) presented the Doge Ziani with a gold ring, saying, "Take it, my son, as a token of true and perpetual dominion over the sea as your subject; and every year, on this Day of Ascension, shall you and your successors make known to all posterity that the ocean belongs to Venice by the right of conquest, and that she is subservient to Venice, as a spouse is to her husband." Thus was added to the ancient ceremonies of Ascension Day, the "Marriage with the Sea." The "Bucentaur," a magnificent vessel, was used exclusively for this occasion. It was a galley, one hundred feet in length, consisting of two decks, the lower one occupied by one hundred and sixty rowers, selected from the most skillful sailors of the fleet. The upper deck was divided lengthwise into two parts, by an open partition of nine arcades, each seven feet wide, whose pillars were ornamented with gilded figures. Along the sides were arranged ninety seats for the retinue of the Doge. In the stern was a state saloon, where, raised on two steps, glittered the ducal throne. The upper deck was covered through its entire length by an awning; supporting this on either side were pilasters carved in imitation of caryatides. The prow of the boat was armed with two projections, one above the other, both enriched with gigantic allegorical figures of Justice, Peace, the Earth, and the Sea; while numberless ornaments of sphinxes, marine monsters, ocean shells, and scrolls, decorated the broadsides of this magnificent naval edifice. Over all floated the resplendent Banner of St. Mark. The "Marriage Day" was the greatest festival in Venice. From early dawn bells were ringing, cannon firing, and the whole population, in gayest attire, was hastening toward the Piazzetta of San Marco, where the "Bucentaur" lay. As the great clock struck the hour of noon, the magnificent retinue in attendance upon the Doge slowly and steadily moved to the place of embarkation. This was the signal for a blast of silver trumpets and the shouting of an excited multitude. Thousands of the citizens then embarked in gondolas and boats gaily decorated with ribbons and flags. As the "Bucentaur" weighed anchor, all the bells of the city rang out a jubilant peal, to which the ships of war, the arsenal, and the forts responded with artillery. Mingled with this far-rolling thunder were the strains of joyful music on board the "Bucentaur" and the other vessels which literally covered the sea. Having arrived at the Port of San Nicolas, the ducal vessel crossed the strait amid the thunder of a hundred cannon, and proceeded a short distance out to sea. She then put about; a door behind the sovereign's throne was suddenly thrown open, the Doge stepped into a small gallery in the bow, and from thence cast into the waves a golden ring, accompanying the action with the words: "We wed thee, O Sea, in token of our true and perpetual sovereignty." Then broke again from the assembled thousands a loud cheer of joy and triumph. The marriage ceremony ended, the gay fleet returned to Venice. The dignitaries repaired to the ducal palace and partook of a sumptuous repast presided over by the Doge himself, while the populace fairly poured into the Piazza di San Marco and abandoned themselves to all kinds of revelry. The "Bucentaur" here described was the one built in 1727 and burned by the French, under Napoleon, in 1797. A model of this famous Ship of State is preserved in the Arsenal of Venice.